AMSRO Trailblazer Scholarship
Cheryl Kam Jia Ying, B.Sc., was the recipient of the 2025 AMSRO Trailblazer Scholarship. She earned a B.Sc. in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2020. In 2024, she trained at Tsukuba University in gene ontology and pathway analysis by gene names during a guest investigation there. She began her career as an Attaché at ST Healthcare in 2021 and then interned at Rajah & Tann Asia in 2023. During that time, she also served as a Research Assistant at Embry-Riddle. In 2024, she became a Community Science Fellow at the American Geophysical Union, a position she still holds. She is a member of the NASA GeneLab Analysis Working Group, AMSRO, where she serves on the Diversity Committee, and Women in Aerospace Medicine, where she is the Media Chair.
Charles A. Berry Memorial Scholarship
Nikita Nair, M.D., BA, received the Charles A. Berry Memorial Scholarship for 2025. She earned a BA in Integrative Biology & Astrophysics from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, United States, in 2024 and is currently studying for her M.D. at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY, United States. From 2020-2024, she was a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Technician, AKANE Institute, San Diego, CA, United States. During that time period, from 2022-2024, she served as an Emergency Medical Technician, CrimsonEMS, and then from 2023-2024, as Hicks House Librarian, both at Havard University in Cambridge, MA, United States. She is the founder and CEO of Far Beyond Stars, which was started in 2019. She has received a variety of awards including John Harvard Scholar, Harvard Innovation Labs Start-It Fund, Program for Research in Science & Engineering Fellow, Astronomical Society of the Pacific Eclipse Ambassador, University of Queensland Three-Minute Thesis Finalist, Kirkland House Arts Award, and a Language Citation in Mandarin Chinese.
Space Surgery Association Future Researcher Award
Tara Nibhanupudy is a very recent graduate of the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She previously had received her BA in Medical Sciences and Medical Anthropology at Boston University. She is just starting her Otolaryngology Residency at UT Medical School at Houston. She has already been very involved in both AMSRO and SSA for several years. She has also been directly and actively involved in research concerning the neuro-vestibular effects of spaceflight and neuro-vestibular post-landing adaptation. Early on, she did an aerospace medicine research clerkship at the NASA JSC Neuroscience Lab and later was a Research Fellow at the Harvard Medical School Vestibular Physiology Lab. Space Medicine Association Jeffrey R. Davis Medical and Graduate Education Endowed Scholarship Cameron Shetler is a final-year medical student at the University of Melbourne and holds a degree in Chemistry from New York University Shanghai. At the 2025 AsMA Conference, Cameron will present a systematic review on skin cancer in astronauts and is a finalist for the Young Investigators Award. She will also present research on dermatitis in astronauts at the 2025 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Sydney, Australia. Cameron’s earlier research has focused on biochemistry, including publications on the effect of metal ions on the Covid-19 enzyme PLpro and key residues in hexokinase II. In 2024, she presented at the University of Melbourne Surgical Student Society’s Surgery in Space Poster Competition on 3D bioprinting for surgical wound management. During her medical studies, Cameron received the Royal Melbourne Hospital Clinical School’s 2023 Muriel Moody Prize for demonstrating “skill, kindness, and human understanding in helping skin patients.” She currently serves as President of the UniMelb Dermatology Interest Society and is a Student Ambassador for the Australian Space Agency’s Young Leaders Program.
Space Medicine Association John B. Charles Endowed Scholarship
Susana Filipa Dias Alves is a finalist for the Integrated Master’s in Biomedical Engineering at NOVA School of Science and Technology. Her passion for aerospace medicine began in 2020 when she joined PYASMA, leading webinars to promote aeronautics medicine. In 2022, she enriched her skills at the ESA/ELGRA Gravity-Related Research Summer School. Currently, she is developing her master’s thesis at the IDeaS Lab, designing simulation-based training for medical emergencies aboard the Lunar Gateway. Concurrently, Susana serves as Portugal’s National Point of Contact for the Space Generation Advisory Council and as a Biomedical Engineer on Switzerland’s Asclepios analogue mission. A sought-after speaker, she has presented at Madeira Digital Week and presented at the 2025 AsMA-UHMS Scientific Meeting. In 2023, she joined the ICAM task force, collaborating with SMAPOR. Ultimately, Susana aspires to develop portable, advanced biomedical technologies for autonomous crew health on deep-space missions and improve
terrestrial healthcare systems.
Space Medicine Association Joe Dervay Undergraduate Scholarship
Kyla Zhang is a dedicated researcher and aspiring future physician with a passion for advancing space medicine and technology. A student in the Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME) at Brown University, she is pursuing a Sc.B. in Aerospace Physiology (2023-2027) and an M.D. at The Warren Alpert Medical School (2027-2031). Kyla’s research spans space medicine, astrobiology, and organic geochemistry. As an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Peter Lee’s Space Medicine Lab, she focuses on engineering medical devices for microgravity and has presented on AI-powered health monitoring for deep space missions. Her work has been recognized with NASA Rhode Island Space Grant and Brown’s Undergraduate Research Award, supporting her original projects investigating microbial ecosystems and lipid biosignatures for extraterrestrial life detection. A member of the Aerospace Medical Association, Kyla is driven by a commitment to innovation, contributing to the advancement of human health and exploration in space.
Space Medicine Association International Scholarship
Nicolò Favero is a medical doctor currently specializing in General Practice under the King’s College Hospital Training Scheme in London. He holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Medicine from King’s College London, awarded with Distinction, as well as a Diploma in Aviation Medicine from the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (UK). His involvement in aerospace medicine includes work with King’s College London’s Spacesuit Physiology Laboratory—a research group dedicated to advancing human performance research for space applications—as well as with the U.S. start-up C2Space, which focuses on research in extreme environments. He also has prior experience working in the design and testing of oxygen systems. Before entering General Practice, he gained clinical experience in Emergency and Critical care medicine. Outside of clinical and aviation medicine, he is working toward his Private Pilot License and has a strong interest in commercial aviation and space exploration.
SMA Medical Resident & Post-Doctorate Scholarship
Dr. Daan van den Nieuwenhof is a medical doctor and Ph.D. candidate at the department of otorhinolaryngology (ENT) of the Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands. With a passion for space medicine sparked during an internship in Australia, he aims to merge ENT with space medicine to address unique challenges in microgravity and extraterrestrial environments. Daan has completed the ESA Human Space Physiology course and supported the Asclepios III Analog Astronaut Mission as Head of Communications and on-site medical officer. He is an active member of SGAC’s Space Medicine and Life Sciences Committee and he received the Giant Leap Award to attend the Space Generation Congress. Daan has studied microgravity-induced cellular changes and published in NPJ Microgravity. His current research includes ENT-related emergencies in space and the surgical treatment of drooling in neurodevelopmentally disabled children. Additionally, he performs neurovestibular research for the International Centre of Astronautical Development.